Of Ineffable Eloquence
by FictionChic
Summary: Primrose Larson didn't speak. She never had. It should have been as simple as that—but it wasn't. It was far more complicated. When things take a turn for the worst, she escapes to the small town of Forks, WA to live with her father. Prim is more than curious to see what her new life will bring & it only increases when she meets the Cullen family who clashes with her own.
1. Chapter 1

It was raining.

Not too hard. The drops were falling from the sky, soft and steady clouded in white velvet and making a rhythm on the rooftop. It was a pleasant sound to wake up to.

Prim had her window open as usual. No matter the weather outside or the temperature inside, she slept with it open. Living on the second floor, she felt like she didn't need to worry about someone trying to break in.

She yawned loudly and stretched the first good stretch of the morning, sitting up as she did so. She blinked and rubbed last night's sleep out of her eyes, reaching over for her water bottle that was propped up against her simple metal framed headboard.

The plastic crinkled with Prim's last sip and she screwed the cap back on, tossing the empty bottle somewhere in her room. She always did that and at the end of the week, she'd recycle them all just in time for garbage day on Monday morning.

Despite having chugged the water as fast as she could, her stomach growled in tune with her thoughts.

She was hungry and had skipped dinner, last night. Again.

Dinner at home was never peaceful and while nobody was there to see it, Prim rolled her eyes heavily. She had just woken up and she was already irritated. However, that wasn't going to help anything go any smoother. So, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

It was a new day.

She pushed herself to the edge of the bed, swinging her legs back and forth. Her toes barely brushed carpeted floor and she blew out another heavy breath, ruffling some hair that had fallen out of her messy bun on top of her head.

She tried to brush it out of her face to no avail, the strands tickling her face as they swung back into place. She rarely wore her hair up unless she was sleeping. It was bright copper in color and fell slightly past her mid-back in long waves as though she had undone a simple three stand plait that she had done the night before.

She never cut her hair, only occasionally had the dead ends trimmed off, but she did that herself.

Jumping lightly off her bed and onto her feet, she stretched again, having finally convinced herself to get her day started. She had stalled long enough and headed to the bathroom, grabbing her baby blue robe off the hook on the back of her bedroom door.

She flinched when she turned on the bathroom light. The fluorescence were so bright, they could have been sterile, showing off every one of Prim's pores and imperfections.

The bathroom itself was nice and spacious. Gleaming counter tops, shiny mirrors and cabinets. The shower was a pretty decent size, too. And this was just the upstairs bathroom.

When she was finished using the bathroom, she washed her hands, glancing in the mirror while floral scented foam ran down the drain.

She had an oval shaped face, an acne scar fading near her hairline. A pair of wide set, amber eyes stared back at her and she wrinkled her soft, petite nose. She puffed out her cheeks, pouting her pink lips and blew out more air, making a face at herself. It was a very average appearance and it didn't help that she only stood 5'3".

She finished washing her hands and dried them, placing a black bobby pin in her hair to secure the pieces that had fallen out. She didn't feel like redoing her bun and knew that her hair was a dry, tangled mess from her sleep.

She felt much more awake and left the bathroom at a much quicker pace, trying to be quiet as she hurried down the thick, carpeted stairs. She didn't want to wake her siblings, just in case they were still sleeping.

"_And_, _then_, _like_, _Lisa told me that if I helped her study_, _then she'd give me a ride home from the party_. _So_, _is that fine_? _And then you can just drop __me off_? _Please_, _mom_?_ I really don't want to drive_. _It's on a Friday_."

Prim threw her head back in annoyance, jumping off the last two steps. That was the voice of her older sister Emory. So, she was awake. And if Emory was up and gabbing, then of course, that meant—

"_I guess_," came her mother's voice with a loud sigh, "_Fine_…_yeah_,_ that's fine_."

Prim tightened the belt on her robe, her pink polka-dotted pajamas still peeking through and kept her head down as she walked into the kitchen. Everyone was already dressed and at the table, eating homemade waffles, eggs, fruit and turkey bacon, drinking orange juice out of pretty glasses.

"Morning, Primmy!"

Despite having her back turned to get a plate out of the cupboard, Prim beamed, instantly perking up at her older brother's nickname for her. He had been calling her that for years and while they didn't spend a whole lot of time together, they were close and Noah had always been nothing but sweet to her and Prim adored him for it. She always would.

She turned her head and waved good morning to him, a smile on her face. A smile, that grew when she saw that Noah had already saved a seat for her with a plate all ready set.

Noah was eighteen and in his senior year of high school. He was handsome and very popular at school, considering he was on the basketball team. His thick black hair was cut medium length and parted on the left, brushing his upper back. He had russet brown skin that looked liked it had warmed under the sun, his light brown eyes were alight with youth. Having gotten his braces off, he always smiled more, showing off his dimples and new pearly whites.

Prim began to walk towards the table to sit down, when her mother's firm voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Primrose, you're not even dressed," her mother scolded, without so much as a morning greeting. She sounded disgusted when she spoke again, "Have you showered, yet? And you know I hate that robe. The bell sleeves never stay down. Where's the one with the longer sleeves?"

Prim exhaled softly in response.

Her mother, Celia had her curly reddish-brown hair cascading perfectly past her shoulders. She had just gotten fresh low lights and the new color suited her. She was pretty and tall, her flawless and tanned white skin free of any makeup except for a light coat of mascara. She had thin lips and brown eyes that were always hard. The skin around her mouth was free of any laugh lines.

Hesitantly, Prim walked towards her mother and when she got close enough, slowly held her hand out towards her mother's face.

"Stop it!" Celia's eyes flashed.

Gasping loudly, Prim snatched her hand back, holding it tightly to her chest. She had reacted quickly enough. If she hadn't, she would have been struck when her mother slapped her hand away.

Even Emory had startled, orange juice sloshing out of her glass and onto the mahogany table. She sat beside Celia as she always did. The two were as thick as thieves and everyone knew that Emory was Celia's golden child.

Emory was seventeen and in her junior year of high school—even though there were talks of Emory graduating early. At least, that's what she said.

Emory was gorgeous and Prim secretly wished she could be pretty like her. Emory could be a model if she really tried—she could probably be one without trying. She had light russet skin and glowing undertones, not a pimple or acne scar in sight—only a small smattering of freckles across her nose, but even those were perfectly in place. She had pretty brown eyes and every feature fit her face. At least, Prim thought so. Emory's wavy sleek black hair was in a neat French braid, showing off her nice cheekbones.

"Mom!" Noah scolded, "Why did you do that?"

"You're _seventeen_, now, Primrose," Celia continued, wiping her mouth with her napkin, "Almost an adult. You can use your damn words! I—" she took a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she waved her hand dismissively, "You know what? Emory, Noah…go upstairs. Hurry and get going to school. You're running late enough as it is."

Emory rushed out of the room and Noah followed close after, grabbing two pieces of turkey bacon and throwing Prim a worried look on the way out.

"I just—I can't," Celia stood from her place at the table, leaving breakfast behind. She was rubbing her forehead and Prim followed her mother with her eyes, having yet to move from her spot.

Celia shook her head, "I can't do this," she said, mostly to herself, "And I've tried, I just—Primrose, I think you need help. You need to go somewhere because this," she gestured wildly at Prim with her hands, "This isn't working for me anymore and I've tried _so_ hard. I'm honestly at my wits end with all of this."

Prim stood there and swore she blinked thirty times in less than two seconds. She wondered if she was gonna faint or throw up because her head felt light. Did this mean that her mother was kicking her out? Was she going to be homeless?

And her mother didn't try. Not once had Celia ever tried, but that was another story for another time.

She couldn't believe this was happening. She didn't even get to serve herself breakfast. Trying again, she desperately reached her hand out, pleading with her mother. Her eyes burned, but she didn't want to give her mom the satisfaction of her tears.

"And last night was absolutely ridiculous!" Celia continued ranting, talking with her hands, "You storming off like that. God, you're not _two_, Primrose. Seriously, I've met _infants_ who talk more than you do and Emory can't ever have her friends over because—

That's when Prim stopped listening. To put it in simple terms: she and Emory didn't get along at all and never have. Emory had never shown Prim an ounce of kindness.

"Hey!"

A loud noise startled Prim back into the present and she placed a hand to her heart with how hard she had jumped.

Her mom had slammed her hand down on the island and looked upset. Prim didn't understand what she had done wrong or what she could have done to make her mom upset like this. Prim hadn't done anything. She could never do anything. She was barely allowed to leave the house.

She stood there helplessly, staring at her mother. It wasn't fair that her mom could lash out like this, but wouldn't give Prim the opportunity to speak her part. She was supposed to stand there and take it.

If her mom thought she acted like a child, then that's what Prim was going to do.

Balling her fists, as hard as she could, Prim stomped her foot, her bare skin slapping loudly against the shiny linoleum floor.

In response, Celia seemed to startle, her eyebrows flicked up at the act. She pressed her lips together, folding her arms across her chest, waiting.

The air in the kitchen turned thick with tension.

Prim tried to stop her whole body from shaking. By now, her thoughts and feelings were so compacted, she thought she was going to explode.

"Primrose," Celia scolded calmly, "Really? Grow up."

Prim had half a mind to completely lose it and throw everything from the table onto the floor, she was so upset, but she knew that might be a little dramatic. She wasn't a violent person and her mom had worked hard to make breakfast, this morning, even if she didn't get to eat it.

Again, trying one last time, she reached out for Celia. Her hand was shaking.

She was pretty sure her eyes were as hard as Celia's frequently were. The difference was that Prim's brimmed tears that burned in her eyes. There was so much that she needed to say to her mother. Why wouldn't she listen?

Celia glanced at Prim's hand and Prim felt a flutter of hope, but then, Celia walked out from around the island, her heels clicking against the floor. With her lips still pursed, she began to clear the breakfast table, taking one long sip from her coffee mug.

Feeling defeated, Prim dropped her hand to her side and her eyes to her feet. The tense silence was filled with her mother cleaning up the dishes.

So, that was it then.

"Go shower, get dressed and bring down your books," Celia instructed firmly. She still wouldn't look at Prim, "You have school work to do."

Prim was home schooled by her mother and had been since she could remember. Prim longed to go to public school like her siblings. She often got embarrassed when Noah and Emory came home with all these stories and tales of friends and the only story that Prim had was that she had spent all day with her mom.

Footsteps came pounding down the stairs and Prim turned her head, just in time to see Emory and Noah standing in the kitchen doorway, dressed and ready for school.

"We're ready," Emory announced, smacking her lips.

"Yeah," Noah drawled, frowning, "Prim! Hey, why are you crying?"

'_Finally_,' Prim thought, allowing her brother to take her hand. Someone that was going to listen to her.

Noah's eyes were downcast, his eyes blank as he held Prim's hand to his cheek.

And there it was. That's what Prim had done wrong.

You see, Prim couldn't express herself through words like others could. Sure, the English language was beautiful and there were millions—probably an infinite number of words she could pick from, but no matter how many words there were, they simply didn't come naturally. It was hard for her. So, she didn't use them.

For as long as Prim could remember, she instead, could show people her thoughts simply by touching them. They were like vivid pictures. She could send people her feelings or her actual thoughts if the situation called for it. She usually preferred touching people's cheeks as for her, it was more of a connection, but not everybody liked that or was comfortable, fortunately hands worked just as well.

She had always been able to do it and couldn't help it. It was how she communicated. Not with everybody, of course. Okay, so, not with many people at all. Prim wasn't stupid. She knew what she could do wasn't normal and if she showed the wrong person, there was the potential that they would go ballistic and tell other people and those other people might send her away to be experimented on.

So, she settled with using her phone to type, writing in a small notebook or nodding and shaking her head if it was appropriate.

Prim kept her eyes on the ground as Noah released her hand. She felt bad when she heard Noah let out a loud sigh. He was constantly trying to defend her and that always got him in trouble.

"Mom…" it was one word that Noah uttered, but it was full of desperation.

"What?" Emory asked, frowning.

"I think," Celia started and Prim looked up to see her mom holding up her hands in defense, "I think that Primrose needs help—

"Prim, mom," Noah interrupted, correcting the use of her first name, "It's Prim."

"Well, _Primrose_ hasn't told me that," Celia clipped back, rather immaturely.

Prim sighed, rolling her eyes. She hated it when her mom did that. When Prim had been ten, a therapist had told Celia that Primrose wasn't allowed to have certain things unless she actually _asked_ for them, putting emphasis on the fact that Prim was to ask out loud and Celia had used that tactic sense. Of course, it never worked…not even when Celia had tried it with food.

"She never tells you anything," Emory commented scornfully, "It's stupid and it's embarrassing."

Prim shot a quick glare at her sister, but it quickly softened when Noah spoke. Louder this time.

"She does tell you!" Noah argued, "She's tried so many times and you just ignore her—

"She's going to be eighteen before we know it," Celia practically growled, "And she can speak like a big girl and if she can't, then she needs to—

"Are you sending her away?" Emory asked hopefully, "Is she going back to the fo—

"Shut up, Emory!" Noah snapped, whirling around on their sister, "Nobody asked you!"

"Nobody has to ask me," Emory quipped, inspecting her nails as if she were bored, "You know, I just don't understand why nobody ever asks me. Like, nobody cares about how she affects _my_ life, but whatever. It's fine. I'm gonna wait in the car. Hurry up."

Prim felt like she was going to cry again as Emory turned and walked out of the room. She felt like this was some kind of staged intervention and it was going all wrong. Prim had never done anything to affect Emory's life negatively. In fact, she always tried to stay out of Emory's way, but nothing ever worked.

"Your sister needs helps," Celia was speaking in a much softer tone, "More than I can give her and it doesn't make me a bad mother for admitting that. She needs to be in a place where she can get support and help and therapy because this isn't something that can continue. This place I found…it has all kinds of different therapy. There's this one—and I've been looking into it for awhile. It's called electroshock—

"No!" Noah shouted, startling Prim, "Mom, oh my god, are you serious?"

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" Celia slapped the counter again, putting firmness to her words, "_I'm_ her mother. _Me_. And Noah Allen Larson-Call," she pressed her lips together, closing her eyes for a brief second, "You are crossing a lot of lines and I don't know what makes you think that's okay. Not under my roof. You're grounded."

"What!?" Noah cried.

Prim rubbed at her eyes, wiping away tears that had yet to fall. She knew that this was going to happen. It was hopeless.

She felt like she was going to throw up and silently excused herself from the kitchen, rushing up the stairs as quietly as she could and going back to her room.

She shut the door with a quiet click and stripped her robe off, abandoning it on the floor.

She crawled back into bed and pulled her comforter over her head. There was no point in getting up or showering or wasting her time getting dressed. School could wait.

It was there, alone in her room, under the darkness of her blankets, that she let the tears fall.

* * *

"How was school today?"

Forks scraped against plates, in response to Celia's question. Emory sipped from her water glass and Noah took a big bite of baked salmon.

Prim pushed around her asparagus, then cut off the tops and moved them to the edge of her plate. She had skipped doing her school work, today and fell back asleep after her brief crying spell. When she woke up, she found that her mother had gone and taken the car.

She had the whole house to herself and it was nice to be alone for awhile, away from the watch of her mother's eyes even if it wasn't for long.

Noah cleared his throat and took a sip of water. He had barely swallowed, when he announced, "School was good!"

"Was it?" Celia asked, hopefully. She smiled a little, "What was so good about it? Did you get your history test back?"

Noah shrugged, "No, I didn't get my test back. I'll get it back, tomorrow, but, um…at lunch, I talked to dad."

"Oh," Celia mumbled, "Did he call you too, Emory?"

"I called him," Noah interjected before Emory could answer, "We talked for a long time."

Prim glanced up at Noah. His shoulders were hunched and his eyes were focused on cutting his salmon into bits that he wasn't eating.

She hadn't heard from their dad either, not that anyone asked. Usually, they communicated through email, but it had been about a week since his last one.

"That's good," Celia's barely there smile was hanging by a thread, "You guys all need to talk to your dad more. Seriously. We're gonna need to talk about this summer," she shook her head, getting off track, "Anyway, Noah…that must have been nice. What'd you guys talk about?"

Noah cleared his throat. Once, then again. It was an easy tell that he was nervous.

"I mean, I don't know…stuff I guess," he said, biting his lip, "Um…we talked and—I told him—well, I asked if Prim could come and live with him and he said yes, but he needs to talk to you about it."

"What!?" Emory cried at the same time Prim gasped.

It took a moment for Prim to register what Noah had announced to the table. He had asked their dad if she could go live with him? Wow…

Their dad, Kian lived all the way in the tiny town of Forks, Washington. He had lived there for quite some time and decided to stay there after the divorce, while Celia whisked them all the way to Indianapolis. As per agreement between the two, Celia got them during the school year and Kian got them during the summer. They alternated between holidays, but it had been awhile. Celia always complained about how much she had hated Forks.

Prim placed a hand to her chest as her heart sped up. She wanted to laugh with both disbelief and relief. Going to Forks was something she had never considered. Was it something that was going to work for her?

"No," Emory said as if she were offended. She looked to Celia, "She doesn't get to go there!"

"It's not your decision or your business," Noah sneered to his sister, "You don't even like Forks. Last time we were there, you were a brat and called mom crying everyday, while you sat on your butt. You didn't even help Billy or Harry or anyone or go with dad back to the Rez like you were supposed to."

"So what?" Emory snapped, "I have before. And she—

"Both of you knock it off!" Celia snapped loudly, "Be quiet!"

Prim bit her lip. She already had her hopes up. She didn't know what was in Forks for her or what she would do in Forks. She had never spent much time with her dad. Things were kind of awkward, but in the time they did spend together, he was a lot nicer to her than Celia. He probably loved her more, too. Anywhere, Prim figured was better than what Celia had planned.

"Noah, I don't even want to look at you, right now," Celia waved him off. Her voice shook, "Go upstairs. You're excused and don't come out of your room for the rest of the night."

"Fine," Noah shrugged carelessly, "I don't care. You're always treating Prim like shit. Dad would never do that."

"You know what? You're so ungrateful! Don't you ever ask me to do anything for you ever again!" Celia shouted after Noah as he stormed out of the room and ran up the stairs.

Prim bit her trembling bottom lip. Where was all of this anger coming from? That had escalated so quickly. While she hated being talked about as if she weren't sitting there, she was so grateful for what Noah had attempted to do for her and loved him so very much.

"He is such a loser," Emory said. She took a bite of her dinner roll, "He's literally a crazy person."

Prim glared at Emory, but the look was lost as her sister was focused on cutting up her salmon. Prim switched her gaze to her mother whose face was flushed in anger.

"You're not going to Forks," Celia said firmly, looking at Prim as if she had done something wrong, "You're going to treatment as soon as they have a bed available, so, don't get your hopes up, Primrose. The state pays for this kind of thing."

So, now it was treatment?

Prim had lost her appetite long ago and pushed her plate away, feeling sick to her stomach. She had no idea that it was going to be that soon. What if a bed became available tomorrow or as soon as tonight? Was her mom going to whisk her away while everyone was sleeping and that would be that? Would she be taken by men in uniform? What if a call came that a bed was available in the next ten minutes?

Every muscle in her body felt tight. She tried to swallow, but it was painful, her mouth was dry. Already, her heart was accelerating and her mind was racing. This was a thing. This was something that was actually going to happen.

Her stomach heaved and she jumped to her feet, speed walking out of the kitchen. She ran up the stairs as quick as she could and burst into Noah's bedroom, slamming the door behind her and locking it with sweating, trembling fingers.

"Prim!" Noah jumped, "What!? Oh my god, can you knock!?"

Prim's breathing became more rapid, more shallow. The tears cutting down her cheeks, felt like hot sauce burning her eyes. She wanted her thoughts to stop so that she could get a breath it, but they wouldn't. She felt sick and she held her head in her hands, squatting on Noah's floor. She coughed once, biting her lip so hard she risked breaking skin.

"Prim, stop that!"

While Noah's voice sounded far away, she was able to hear him, but couldn't force herself to open her eyes in order to see him.

Suddenly, she felt cold all over and there was a sharp sting that came from the top of her head. It stole the heat from her body and forced her to gasp in a large breath.

The shock gave her a moment of clarity and instinctively, she brought up her hands to rub the moisture from her eyes, licking her lips when a drop rolled down her face.

It tasted sweet.

Her chest was still heaving with uneven breath, but she managed to calm some, blinking furiously. She fell fully to her knees, something wet seeping into her jeans.

She coughed once more and ran her hand across her forehead. Not smoothly however. Skin caught on skin for a brief moment and she open and closed her hand, put off by the stickiness.

She looked up at her brother, who looked freaked out, then to the empty cup clutched in his hands.

"It's Mountain Dew," he admitted, "There was some ice left in it and it was cold. Sorry, I didn't know what else to do. It was either that or go get mom."

Prim nodded, quick jerks of her head, still sitting in the puddle of soda.

Noah knelt down to Prim's eye level on one knee, setting the cup down beside him.

"I'll clean it up, later," he said, which really meant he was going to throw a towel over it and call it a day, "Lemme see."

Prim let Noah take her hand to his face. She had trouble focusing on him and settled for looking somewhere else. She still didn't have her breathing right.

After a few moments, Noah released Prim's hand, running his own through his hair. He looked at the ground, a knit between his brow.

"Do you remember what I told you awhile ago? You know…what's going to happen after I graduate?"

She nodded. A simple response.

"I know it's kind of far," Noah mumbled, loud enough for Prim to hear, "But I'm thinking of the University of Washington. If I don't get into that, Peninsula College is always an option, but I think UW will be a better option…more opportunities, you know? And I'm willing to make the commute."

No, Prim didn't know, but she nodded anyway to show Noah that she was listening.

"I get tingly every time I think about it," Noah continued talking. His eyes looked kind of far away, "I really have the privilege to do something, Prim."

Prim nodded again. After graduating high school, Noah had a firm plan of moving to La Push to not only to be closer to family, but to reconnect with his people and his culture. He eventually wanted to go to school and major in American Indian Studies, to pursue Tribal Law.

"So," Noah continued, "If you did go to Forks…I'll be there, too. Maybe not right away, but…" he trailed off, shrugging, "Eventually. I think that you should go."

Prim shook her head, reaching out to touch Noah's cheek. Did he seriously forget the tirade their mother went on less than twenty minutes ago? She explicitly said no.

But Noah rejected Prim's way of communication, leaning back out of her reach.

"No, I mean," he lowered his voice, "What if you just went? You know, like ran away or something?"

Prim's face turned thoughtful, but she shook it from her head. No, she couldn't do that. What if it came back to her father and he got in big trouble? It wasn't a risk she was willing to take.

"Then again," Noah mused, "I don't want dad getting in trouble. What if mom says that he kidnapped you or something weird like that?"

Just as Prim held her hand out, Noah spoke again, interrupting her.

"But then, what if you left a note?" he asked, "You know, leave an envelope on your pillow, saying that you're in Forks with dad? I could buy you a plane ticket? And then you could just take a cab to the airport. And once you land in Washington, dad will probably pick you up. We can look for plane tickets, right now!"

Prim felt like she was going to get weird again and start crying and not being able to breathe right. This was all happening so fast. Much, much faster than she ever would have expected. If she thought logically, she supposed she needed to leave as soon as possible, since her mom was planning on sending her away as soon as possible. Emotionally, she wanted to crawl back under her covers and stay there, hoping that this was all a bad dream that would all go away.

But it wasn't. No matter how many times Prim pinched herself, this wasn't going to go away. She wondered how long she would be gone. For a few days? A week? Until she was eighteen? Until she started talking or until she could stop showing people her thoughts?

What if she spent the rest of her life there? Would she die there?

Prim's eyes began to drip with tears at the thought. Salty drops fell from her chin. Here she was, on the floor of her brother's bedroom, crying her eyes out for the second time, covered in sticky Mountain Dew.

She looked at Noah with so much desperation, that she saw the determination leave his eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry, Primmy," Noah whispered, loud enough for her to hear.

She tried to hold it in, but couldn't. She was scared. It caused her heart to ache. It didn't matter how many tears she shed. Tear after tear made no difference and a choked cry forced itself past her lips as she forced herself to press her lips together, silent sobs wracking her body.

.

.

.

That night, when everyone had retired to bed, Prim was walking into her own bedroom, pulling her hair into a messy bun atop her head. For the millionth time that day, she let out a sigh.

She shut her door, clicking the lock into place. She stood there for a moment, starting at the gold doorknob.

It was silent in her room and chilly, too, thanks to her open window.

She made a move to rake her hand through her hair, but stopped, forgetting for a moment that she had just put it up a few seconds ago.

She let out another sigh, louder this time and stripped from her robe, leaving her in a black tank top and pink shorts.

After her breakdown in Noah's room, she had calmed down enough to take a long shower, soothing her tired muscles, washing her hair and scrubbing the sticky soda residue from her body.

As she settled into bed, turning over on her right side, Prim was pretty sure that this had been and always would be the longest day of her entire life.

Sleep would come to no avail, tonight, she knew that and all night, she tossed and turned, her heart racing with that feeling she couldn't place. She longed to even fall into a restless sleep to provide some sort of escape from the day she had.

When Prim did finally fall asleep, it was the sound of the phone ringing at midnight that woke her.

* * *

**Author's Note: Surprise! Prim is back and (hopefully) better than ever! I'm so excited to be able to revamp this story with the help of my always amazing Beta Reader Sabrina06. I've changed a few of the names and a few small details. Two years later, I feel like I am now in a place where can portray this story more realistically (to a certain point) and accurately. I actually went back and read the older version and cringed at myself. I'm so happy that I deleted the story for my own peace of mind.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this revamped version of '_The Meaning Behind Special_' and don't forget to leave a review!**

**~ FictionChic**


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm not sending any of your things."

Prim nodded, but didn't turn around. She rolled a black turtleneck into a tight burrito shape, stuffing it tightly into her suitcase.

"The stuff you leave behind I'll see if Emory wants it. If not, I'll probably give it to Good Will."

Prim blew air from between her lips. She didn't want to sigh too loud, knowing it would set her mother off. Her mother loved getting reactions out of people, especially if they were negative; and by now Prim knew how to evade that and not play into her mother's hands.

"And leave your phone, too," Celia continued, "I'm turning it off."

Prim rolled up a pair of jeans and nodded again, showing her mother that she understood. She'd have to remember to write down the numbers she had in her contacts.

"I'm glad that you were willing to ruin our whole relationship over this," Celia said sarcastically, "I hope it was worth it."

Prim made no acknowledgment of that. Nodding would have been the wrong move and shaking her head would have sent Celia into a whole other tirade and Prim didn't have time for that.

She was too busy packing for Forks.

Kian had called in the middle of the night and Prim wasn't sure what her father had said, but she had heard Celia yelling her responses. It had been a long enough conversation, to the point where Prim had fallen asleep again. She had been woken, by her mother slamming into her room and ripping her blankets off, telling her to pack and to not leave her room until she was finished.

It had been three hours since then, not counting the one she took when Noah had sneaked her up some breakfast.

It was hard for her, choosing what she could and couldn't leave behind. She figured it was going to be really cold in Forks, but what about during the summer? What if there was a sudden heatwave? And she still had to go through her shoes.

"Prim, Prim, Prim, Prim!"

The redhead startled at Noah's frantic, loud tone, dropping the blue shirt she had been holding. Quickly, she picked it up and turned around. Noah was literally throwing shoes out of her closet.

"Hurry up!" Noah snapped at her, "Come on. Mom just called your cab! You have to hurry, now!"

Prim froze for a second. Of course, she hadn't expected her mom to drive her to the airport and she was grateful that Celia had even called her a cab, but still…Celia had just been in her room and very well knew that she wasn't close to being done packing.

She was beginning to feel stressed and rubbed her forehead, groaning. At least she had gotten all of her undergarments and toiletries packed away.

"I'll do your shoes," Noah mumbled, tossing aside a pair of brown wedge heels that Prim never wore, "Trust me, I know what shoes you'll need. Get the rest of your clothes and stuff."

She only had one suitcase and it had been one she had since she was a child. It was beige and had outlines of Hello Kitty plastered all over it.

Before she forgot, Prim ran over to her desk, grabbing a pen and her pad of sticky notes. She went through her phone and scrawled down a few numbers before she did a master reset, wiping her phone completely. She turned it off and left it on the desk. Her hand was shaking.

She placed the note in the pocket of her jeans and went back to her bed to help finish packing. There was so much she wanted to tell her brother, but now wasn't the time.

"I'll try and save some of your stuff before mom goes through it," Noah grunted, pressing a pair of shoes into the suitcase, "I'll hide it in my room and bring it to you when I come visit, okay?"

She nodded again, brushing hair out of her face. She was pretty sure that she was sweating and the humidity she was feeling was making her hair frizzy.

"That's gonna have to do," Noah said, placing another pair of shoes on top of everything, "It's all ready too full. I think you might have to sit on it, so, that I can close it."

Prim's shoulders slumped. That was it? That was all that would fit? It made her sad. She had crammed what she could of her life into this one suitcase, but it wasn't enough. There was so much more…

"Come on, get up there," Noah urged, holding down the top of the suitcase, "I'll zip this side and you zip the other."

Placing both arms on her suitcase, Prim hoisted herself to sit on top. She tried to balance her weight out and tugged the zipper on the right side. She tried not to pull too hard. The last thing she needed was for it to break and everything to come flying out of her suitcase.

"I got this side," Noah said, "You can get down, now."

Prim hopped down, back to the floor and fished zipping her side, her and Noah's hands meeting in the middle. At the brief contact, she felt tears well up in her eyes.

_Honk, honk, hoooonk_!

Prim's heart skipped a beat and she startled again, having been jumpy all morning. The cab was here already? But she hadn't even double checked that she had everything she needed; or said a proper goodbye to Noah.

"I've got it," Noah grabbed her suitcase by the handle, carrying it with ease. He was tall and filled out, standing at 5'8. He was the second tallest on the basketball team.

She swallowed thickly. She wouldn't be able to watch anymore basketball games.

She gasped as she tripped on the last step. She would've fallen if she hadn't stumbled and caught herself on the wall.

She moved her hand, but kept it on the wall, steadying her breath. Now was not the time to lose it. She was sure the cab was close to leaving and wouldn't wait around forever.

She went into the kitchen, but her mom wasn't there. It was empty. Everyone, but Noah must have been in their rooms.

"Are you leaving?"

Prim couldn't hide her surprised expression when she turned to face Emory who stood at the top of the stairs, arms folded across her chest and her lips pursed. When Emory did that, she looked just like their mother.

She blinked at her sister, then nodded, pulling on the ends of her hair. She tried to read Emory's face for any expression, but found none.

Emory casually looked around, then finally looked at Prim again. Emory looked her up and down, scrunched her nose a little, then relaxed. Her eyes darted to the side, then back to Prim.

"Oh," Emory said hesitantly and Prim nodded at her again. She was going to miss her cab and she still hadn't said goodbye to Noah.

"You'renevergoingtobeapartofthisfamily!"

Emory spoke the words so fast, that Prim almost didn't understand. Almost.

They were enough to stop Prim from heading towards the door and she faced Emory again who held her stance.

"You're not," Emory stated matter-of-factly, "You're not family. And I don't know why you think everybody's going to put up with you and your silent treatment. Maybe it was cute when you were two, but it's a pain in the ass, now. A piece of paper—a receipt doesn't make you family."

Prim searched the hardness in Emory's eyes, narrowed her own, turned on her heel and left, walking briskly out the door. She slammed it behind her, a goodbye to her sister and her mother.

She met Noah out by the cab, who was waiting patiently.

"He can't run the meter until he knows where he's going," Noah said softly, "So, we're good. You ready?"

Prim nodded slowly, but bit her lip. The tears the spilled down her cheeks, betrayed her head nod.

"Aw, Primmy," Noah rolled his eyes, pulling Prim into a tight hug, "C'mon, don't do that."

"Why are you crying?" he continued, "You're going to be all right. Everything will be fine, now. You'll be safe."

She nodded and bit her lip, keeping in any pitiful noises. She needed to leave. She knew that.

When Noah released her, Prim discreetly touched her fingers to the side of Noah's neck. Noah's hand came up to touch her hand, staring off to the side.

"Yeah," Noah said as if it were obvious, blinking to let his eyes come back into focus, "Yeah, I'll miss you, too," he kissed the top of her head, "But I'd rather visit you in Forks than in a hospital and I'll call you all the time. Oh, and say hi to everyone for me, okay? You better go…"

Prim hesitated.

"You'll be fine," Noah insisted firmly, "And you'll be happier. Go."

She took one last look at Noah and opened the cab door. No matter who it was, she always made sure to sit behind the cab driver. She wasn't sure why, but it was something her mother always said.

"She's heading to the airport," Noah poked his head through the passenger window, speaking to the cabbie, "She needs to be there early, please. Her flight leaves at 11:45."

Prim took a deep breath and more tears welled up in her eyes as the cab pulled out of the driveway. She refused to look. If she did, she would fully breakdown and jump out of the car. It had been hard enough saying goodbye and she didn't want the cab driver seeing her sob all over herself.

The cab ride wasn't bad. The man driving her was quiet, listening to the radio and Prim looked out the window to pass the time. She had Noah's old music player, but she had stupidly packed in with the rest of her things and forgot to grab it. Maybe she'd sleep on the plane.

"A piece of paper—a receipt doesn't make you family."

Prim wiped away a tear before it could fall. Emory was so rude and what she had said really hurt Prim's feelings. She had left that bit out when talking to Noah. She didn't know why…she supposed she was over him fighting her sister or her mother. He'd been getting in trouble all week.

She closed her eyes, though she knew better than to fall asleep. She wanted to relax, even if it was in the back of a cab. She tried to release the tension in her shoulders and take deep breaths, but doing that seemed like it would take all of her strength.

When she reached the airport, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to get out of the cab. Truly, she wanted to be back home, resting in bed, sleeping in until it was time for her to do her schoolwork. It was always quiet, her mother barely said a word to her until it was time to go to work. If it was a day where Celia felt untrustworthy, she would call her job and work from home to keep a watchful eye.

It was going to be weird, Prim suddenly thought, thinking of her flight. Washington state was three hours behind and it was going to be a long flight.

She shook her head and opened her eyes. There was so much to think about and there was never going to be enough time to get through all of her thoughts.

"Here we are," the cabbie announced, parallel parking into a drop-off spot, "Need any help with your bags, ma'am?"

Prim shook her head and glanced at the meter, fishing the correct amount of money out of her pocket.

"Thank you very much," the cabbie smiled warmly at her, "Give me a moment and I'll get your change."

Prim shook her head frantically.

"Ma'am, are you sure?" the cabbie asked, pointing to the meter and Prim nodded with a smile.

"Thank you," the cabbie returned the smile, "How kind. I hope you have a safe flight."

Prim smiled at him as a way to say thank you and climbed out of the yellow car to get her suitcase out of the trunk. She had no carry-on bag and now regretted the fact. She could have fit more of her stuff, but that was all right. It was too late, now.

When she finally reached her gate, her chest was heaving and her cheeks were flushed as she tried to catch her breath. It had taken her longer than she thought to get through security, the line was so long.

She wanted to slump down in an airport chair and rest until her flight boarded, but her growling stomach kept her from doing so.

Deciding to take her chances, Prim spotted a nearby sandwich place that also had a refrigerator section.

She pursed her lips and made her way over. She purchased a Swiss and turkey sandwich, a bag of chips, and a bottle of water.

"_Flight C18 to Seattle_, _Washington_, _you may now board_," a fake cheery voice said over the intercom, "_Flight C18 to Seattle_, _Washington_, _you may now board_."

She took a deep breath, ready to continue her journey to Forks, Washington.

* * *

"Hey, Embry, sweetie? You can go now, if you'd like. I should be fine until closing."

Embry, who was restocking the postcard display, looked up from what he was doing.

"You sure, mom?" he asked, "I'm not even halfway through the box."

His mother, Tiffany waved him off, going through old receipts, "I'm sure, honey," kind, dark brown eyes came to meet his similar shade, "Go ahead. I know you wanted to meet your friends at the beach."

"Yeah," Embry tucked the left side of his hair back behind his ear. It was black in color and chin-length, the right side swinging free. He was trying to grow it out, "Are you still going with uncle Kian?"

"Nooo," his mom drawled, glancing up at him, "I wanted to, but really, him and Primrose are going to need some time together. Get used to being together, you know?"

"I guess," Embry mumbled, but he didn't know, "What's there to get used to? It's not like this is the first time they're meeting."

Primrose or Prim as she liked to be called, was going to be moving to Forks from Indiana. Embry didn't know much about what had happened. His mom, Tiffany had kept it brief. From what he understood, Prim and her mother, Celia had gotten into a pretty nasty fight and Kian had offered to take Prim in.

A lot of it didn't make sense in Embry's head and a lot of things about that story didn't add up. Perhaps Kian had summarized or made up something to get his sister off his back, but Embry knew that Prim would tell him the whole story when she got to Forks and hopefully, came to visit La Push.

Deciding to ask a different question, Embry said, "So, is uncle Kian not moving here anymore? Or I thought he wanted to go back to the Rez?"

"I don't know, Embry," his mother sounded exasperated, "All I know is what your uncle told me. Primrose is coming today and she'll be living with Kian for I don't know how long. For however long she chooses, I suppose. He sounded kind of frazzled on the phone. He didn't have much time to prepare for her arrival. He has to get her room ready, go grocery shopping, actually _clean_ his house."

"I was just asking!" Embry defended himself. He didn't understand why his mom was so stressed about it, "What's the matter?"

Tiffany sighed and waved him off, "It's nothing, son. I—it's grownup stuff and nothing you need to worry about. My brother," she waved an absent hand, "Sometimes, I-I have to wonder what he's thinking."

Embry opened his mouth to ask another question, but his mom beat him to it, cutting him off before he could start talking.

"Are you going to the beach or not?" she asked him, "If you are, go, if you're not, then go in the back and work on some homework. You passed your last math test by three points and that's not acceptable. Not in my home. I work too hard—

"Okay, mom, okay," Embry gently interrupted her, "All right, I'm going. I'll see you later."

"See you later," Tiffany echoed with a smile, "Be safe and don't be home later than 7:30PM, got it? I love you."

"7:30PM, got it," Embry confirmed. He went to grab his backpack from underneath the counter, "No problem. Love you, bye," he kissed his mom on the cheek.

He ran out the door before his mom could change her mind. It was chilly outside and he looked up at the gray sky. The clouds hovering over him looked heavy with rain. He hoped that Jacob and Quil hadn't left yet.

It was a short walk. A brisk wind was coming off the waves of First Beach, cool and briny. The water was dark gray, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky, shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits, and crowned with austere, soaring firs.

"Yo, Call! Heads up!"

Embry jerked to the side just as a sand covered soccer ball went whizzing past his head, the force from the ball ruffling his hair.

He picked up the ball, the white barely visible due to the damp sand that covered it. He tossed it up in the air and caught it with one hand.

"Hey, man! There you are!"

One of his best friends, Jacob Black approached him with a wide grin. His long, glossy black hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck as usual, but a few strands had gotten free, which Jacob had tucked behind his ear. He was 5'10 and had a lanky build, a hint of childish roundedness to his chin. His russet skin looked flushed.

"What's up?" Embry returned the smile, his eyes lighting up, "How long have you guys been here?"

"Not long," Quil jogged up to them, stopping beside Jake and gave Embry a pound hug. "Not long for us, anyway."

Quil was a bit shorter than Embry and had brown eyes. His black hair had been shaved into a buzzcut. He was afro-native, half Black and half Quiluete, his skin darker than the other three.

"Nice," Embry said simply, tossing the ball to Quil, who grinned and impish grin, "Ready to play?"

"We just finished a game," Jake began to walk towards the beach, "I won."

Embry snickered, "Yeah? How long did that take?"

"Two hours!" Quil groaned, running his hands down his face, "God, it took forever! I knew I'd win, though. I always do!"

"Whatever," Jake rolled his eyes and sat on a large piece of driftwood, bleached bone white. The tide line was strewn with them, some piled together against the edge of the forest fringe, some lying solitary, just out of reach of the waves.

Embry picked up an unopened can of soda. It was still cold and he rubbed his free hand on his pants, brushing off the sand. He was about a shade darker than Jacob's russet-colored skin, Embry's undertones being warmer.

"I thought you had to work all day?" Quil asked, "What happened?"

"I did have to work," Embry confirmed, "But my mom let me go early," he shrugged, "I think she might close the shop early. I don't know. She's waiting to hear from Kian."

"That's right," Quil said. He scratched the top of his buzz cut, "Is your cousin still coming? I heard Harry mention something about it."

"Prim," Embry lit up, "Yeah, she is. It's been forever since I've seen her. I can't believe she's moving here!"

"Why is she moving here?" Jake asked, "I mean, like, she has a pretty cushy life in Indiana doesn't she? And Kian always talks about wanting to move out of Forks and to La Push. Last time he was with dad, he even talked about going back to the Rez—going back home."

"I guess," Embry said. Jake was right. Kian did always talk about it, but maybe his plans had changed now that Prim was coming. Embry said as much, "Maybe he's going to wait a little longer. Prim's old. Seventeen."

"She's going to the public school, right?" Quil asked, "She can't go to our school. Or can she not go to the public one, either?"

"I—" Embry began to feel a little defensive over his cousin. Of course he knew that Prim wasn't going to the school on the Rez, but why would she not be able to go to the public school? Everyone else went there.

"I don't know," he mumbled with a shrug, "She was home schooled at her mom's house. It was easier for her."

His friends seemed rather indifferent about that answer and mimicked his shrug.

An awkward silence settled between them and Embry didn't know what to say or what to do. Were his friends mad that Prim moving here might put off Kian's plans for going back to the Rez? Prim could go with Kian, couldn't she? Or maybe not. He didn't really know, but still—what if Prim graduated school early and ran off to college or something? She probably wouldn't be in Forks that long.

"I'm excited for her to come," he stated. He was sure he sounded firmer, this time, "She used—she's, like, my best friend," he quickly corrected himself.

Jacob frowned, "You just said you haven't seen her in forever. And how do you guys talk, you know…if she, er," he scratched his head, "Can't, I guess?"

"It's cool and everything," Quil quickly jumped in, sounding a little too positive, "That she's coming. It'll just be weird having a Pale Face around. And, you know, the Elders have been acting weird, lately. Especially around that Sam guy. You know? Sam Uley?"

"Yeah…" Embry couldn't argue with that. He remembered when he had disappeared for two weeks. He shook his head, visibly dismissing the thought, "But whatever, man. Prim's cool. Seriously, guys! You'll see, just give her a chance."

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Jacob promised, "Sure," he bumped Quil's arm, who nodded through a mouthful of soda.

"Cool," Embry smiled, relieved, "Now, c'mon. Let's go play. First one who kicks the ball into the water has to swim after it in all their clothes."

"Oh, you're on!" Quil wiped his hand across his mouth with an impish grin, "I'll take that challenge!"

"No way I'm losing," Jacob was the first to run off, "You're on, Call!"

Embry laughed and hurried to catch up with his friends. Things were going to be fine and Prim was going to fit in perfectly.

* * *

**Author's Note: Finally, chapter two is here! I'm so happy that I finally had time to sit down and finish it. Taking breaks like this is hard-I miss writing so much, but I'm glad for the moments I get to do it.**

**Anyway, don't forget to review! Also, I published another story called '_Shallow Edges Left of Sun_' and it's a story centered around Leah Clearwater and includes the wolf pack I'm really excited about it and really looking forward to developing it more. I would really appreciate it if you guys checked it out and left reviews as it's probably going to end up being one of my favorite stories besides '_Over The Midnight Moon_.'**

**Thanks for my BetaReader, Sabrina06!**

**xx FictionChic**


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